For most of her life, Martha Lanier, of Cumming, Georgia, was shy and held back by self-imposed limits. She never imagined she'd become a triathlete — especially not at 62. Before then, she hadn't taken part in any athletic activity, not even as a child; she didn't enjoy sweating, sore muscles, or working out.
At 60, Martha heard the words no woman wants to hear: "You have breast cancer." It was April 2008, and she'd found a lump in her right breast just a week after her annual physical. A biopsy confirmed Stage I infiltrating ductal carcinoma. She chose aggressive treatment, undergoing a bilateral mastectomy on June 3rd with reconstructive surgery using an abdominal TRAM flap.
To prepare for surgery and aid her recovery, she made walking a daily habit, and just three months after the operation, she completed the 30-mile Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer with her two daughters — and spoke as a guest at the closing ceremony. Six months after surgery, her doctors cleared her to do anything she felt up to. When she shared the news with her daughter, the response left her speechless: "Mom, this is awesome! The Aflac Iron Girl Triathlon is going to be held in Atlanta in June, so that gives us six months to train." Her older daughter wanted in too.
In June 2009, Martha accepted her daughters' challenge, marking her first anniversary as a breast cancer survivor by competing — as a lifelong non-athlete — in the Aflac Iron Girl Sprint Triathlon at age 62. "I quickly explained that although I enjoyed swimming, it was only for fun. I didn't have a bike, nor had I ridden one in over 50 years. And I was not a runner and never intended to be one, because I just plain didn't enjoy it," Martha says.
Once she realized the race would be a meaningful way to mark her survivorship, she didn't hesitate. This grandmother bought a swimsuit, joined a senior swim club, and picked up a bike and helmet — though she was disappointed to hear "no way" when she floated the idea of knee and elbow pads too. Mentally, she was all in; physically, she had to keep reminding her body to catch up. The training routine came together more easily than she expected: she was in the pool by 6 a.m., four mornings a week, working with a lifeguard on her strokes and breathing, and joining other Iron Girl hopefuls on long bike rides. She discovered she was a natural speed walker with a long stride, and focused on building distance while cutting her time. Before long, she was eating better, sleeping better, and felt more energetic than she had in years.
A month before the race, Iron Girl organizers contacted Martha and her daughters: the three of them had been selected to appear in an NBC Sports special covering the Atlanta Iron Girl Triathlon, chosen because Martha was a new breast cancer survivor racing with her daughters' support. Twelve hundred women registered for the event. The swim was harder than she'd imagined, and she was disappointed to have to walk her bike up two steep hills — but she kept going, carried by cheering crowds, encouragement from fellow racers, and her family, especially the two daughters who'd helped make her dream real.
It was one of the hardest challenges Martha had ever faced — and the most rewarding. It showed her how much she enjoyed training, and how much it improved her health and outlook. As a motivational speaker, she now shares that experience and its lessons with audiences everywhere. "I will forever remember the thrill I felt when my daughters ran with me across the finish line," she says. "We each share a lifelong memory of that day, and are proud to call ourselves Iron Girl triathletes."
One month later, in the best physical shape of her life, Martha was unexpectedly diagnosed with stress cardiomyopathy — a heart condition brought on by chronic stress, which she experienced firsthand after years of trying to be an invincible, do-it-all woman. Over her career, she'd climbed from administrative assistant to office manager to VP of relocation services to business owner, and in 2006–2007 served as president of the Georgia chapter of the National Speakers Association, an election by her peers that underscored her standing as a leader and mentor.
Married since 1970, Martha is a veteran professional speaker with a background in human resources and administrative services. Today, she's on a mission to help women manage stress and take a proactive role in their health through what she calls the "Martha Mindset" — showing them that taking better care of themselves increases their value to their work, their families, and themselves. She celebrated her 50th birthday skydiving with her daughter, and since the Iron Girl race — the event she credits with giving her the courage and resilience to face any health challenge — she's gone on to swim with dolphins, go parasailing, drive a Lamborghini over 100 mph on a racetrack, and zipline through Belize. Twelve years ago, she founded her company, IGNITE Your Potential Inc. Following her breast cancer surgery, she wrote a book, "Pink Lemonade," blending humor with hard-won insight.
Martha Lanier is a motivational keynote speaker who equips audiences with relevant, relatable content on stress management, confidence, and health awareness — popular as a high-energy opening keynote to kick off an event. Learn more at www.marthalanier.com.